Achluophobia   ItaSaku
by SpaceWolves
Summary: A bit into the future, Sakura stumbles into a stranger in a bar, when on a mission with some teammates. She follows him, only to get a haunting message from him. Something isn't right, she remembers the man from somewhere. What is she supposed to do now?
1. Chapter 1

**HII GUYYYYSSS I'M BACCKK**

**With another Fanfiction yayayayayay! Wooo**

**So about my other one I am so so so so so sorry. I have posted in just ages, it's stupid I suck I'm a poop person I know I know. I PROMISE to countinue the SasoSaku Story! Thing is I sort of lost the file where I've written about three or four more chapters, so I have to find those and then they'll totally be up and hopefully I'll somehow finish the story!**

**Um so with this story, all of you Shippuden Manga Updated Readers, PLEASE DON'T CRINGE WHEN YOU READ THIS OKAY. Basically this is so wrong because SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER itachi died, but he'll be alive in this one. I won't go too much into the war, but let's pretend that Madara is still alive, which he probably would be since he's the effing sage of the paths or whatever which sounds super important and unbeatable and fhskfhasdkaf. I dunno, I'll make some of the facts pretty vague and unknown since we don't know much about Naruto in the future? So if anything new comes up I'll be able to change it easily and be as accurate as possible :)**

**This will be longest 'before-post', promise not to do one like this. **

**So um, yeah! PLEASE REVIEEWWWW, I really need to know whether countinue with this or not okay. Tell me if it's crap or shit, because seriously, my writing has been going rubbish these months and ugh I need to practice more fhskjfhsd. **

**OKAY SORRY SORRY. Remember Review! And tell me what you think of it! Hope you laaaiikee this my lovelies! (Suggestions are great too!) 3**

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><p><strong>It was nice being back on missions with the team again. After such a long time, things were starting to look up again, despite the long war which had just finished 2 years ago. Yes. Just.<strong>

Despite being on a mission with her favorite people, Sakura Haruno was not tOo content with the plan Naruto had set out for them. It was funny since him being evaluated as a future candidate of Assistant to Hokage and General Commander, he began to think that he was able to create genius plans. In which Sakura would be the prime heroine.

Thus he had her dress 'sexy' and stuff her into the bar where the s-rank criminal with some stolen loot of Konoha would be at. Shikamaru accompanied them, protecting the kyubi inside Naruto as now, the whole continent and perhaps even more might know about Naruto's infamous gifts. But coming back to Shikamaru, he went along with the plan, and smiling for the first time in a very long time at the plan Naruto came up with as well as the rows he and Sakura had.

The plan was to go as follows; Sakura would enter in a tummy bearing, short shorts, knee high boots and thigh high socks, a weapon belt and chewing gum into the bar, acting as if a Rogue ninja. She'd sit next to the criminal let him buy her a drink and lure her into one of the bedrooms upstairs where she'd knock him out and also where Naruto and Shikamaru would be waiting for her.

Although it seemed ridiculous to Sakura, she had to admit it was a pretty good plan, and although not surprised at the depravity of her feminine dignity Naruto was so eager to give up, she was impressed.

And so she walked into the bar, thinking about how itchy and tight the socks were. Everyone stared at her in the bar, all the men, except for this one guy at the back table. She was never in a situation like this before. It was strange. And uncomfortable.

Chewing the gum that matched her hair, she went over and sat next to the criminal they were pursuing. Instantly he looked at her and eyed her up and down. He was far from attractive, with scaly skin and yellow crooked teeth and straw brown hair, Sakura couldn't help but to feel repulsed.  
>The man smiled a crooked smile and greeted her in the most disgusting way possible, she gave a fake, flirty laugh and began to do what she was told. During all of which she wanted to kill Naruto.<p>

Finally having gotten the man quite close to drunkenness she told him about a room upstairs where she will be waiting. His face lit up as she strutted away. She felt eyes on her as she turned to that same table at the back of the room. Though in shadow, she saw a brilliant pair of onyx eyes staring at her, instantly she felt drawn in and wanted to approach the person and sit and talk and do anything they told her too.

No. Naruto and Shika are counting on me.

So she looked away and went up some bar steps and through a door and gave the signal to the boys. They all hid and waited until an hour or so later a drunken voice came through the hall yelling, 'Whereeeeess my pweetyy borrdyy, heee come ouuttt papa bears here forr yuuuu'

'Ugh, he's just repulsive,' Sakura said and Naruto gave out a giggle. Sakura walked over and opened the door, motioning the man to come in. he ran at her and she twirled him about into the room. Just before he was able to grab her arse, she hit him in a pressure point in his back and the man crumpled to the floor unconscious.

'Yus!' Naruto whispered out.

'Wow, this actually worked. Tell me again,' Sakura said peering over the man, 'How is this pathetic man an S-Rank criminal?'

'Apparently he has a strong bloodline, but we don't know of which clan. That's why they want him back home, to examine him and what not,' Shikamaru explained, cozily sitting on a velvet armchair, 'We were lucky to get him like this,' he paused, tilted his head and stared at Sakura, 'say, Sakura, you know you should really start dressing like this? It really brings out your curves I never thought you had!'

'OI!' Both Naruto and Sakura yelped out, (although Naruto's was strangely a tad louder).

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><p>The two boys (<em>boys) <em>decided to wait until a bit after two am so that to ensure no one would really see them. Naruto instantly went to sleep, forcing Shikamaru to stay up. Sakura decided to go back down stairs to look out for the man with the onyx eyes.

She didn't exactly enter the bar again extravagantly. She peeked from the door, and to her surprise (and slight happiness), he was still there, sipping a small cup of sake quietly. Sakura also noticed the bar tender changed, it was a man now, and the bar was completely empty, except for the two men.

She went down and took a seat in front of the bar. The bartender noticed her instantly and smiled. We was not as unattractive as the criminal, Ino would probably like him. But Sakura wasn't too infatuated with him, she just smiled, and lured him into a free drink.

"So, where do you come from? I haven't seen you around here," he said, leaning over on the bar top.

Sakura giggled slightly, "Oh, I don't come from here; I come from faaaaaaaaaar, away. You don't know the place."

The guy smiled, "Hah, try me."

Sakura look up at him, and laughed again.

"So… is your hair… naturally like this? Or do you, sorry for asking, dye it?" he asked, nervously this time.

Sakura laughed, throwing her head back. The bartender smiled, liking the fact that she wasn't angry or upset; she felt his confidence grow again.

"Haha, oh no, no, no. Of course not, it's always been like this. Maybe a bit lighter when I was a baby, greyer, but no it's always been like this. Isn't that weird?" she concluded, smiling.

After, he needed to see something behind the bar. Using this, Sakura waited a moment before slightly turning around and looking at the man at the table. Instantly she was washed with total disappointment, as she saw, he was no longer there.

It was obviously visible on her face since she heard a dark chuckle coming from her left.

She felt her body spring back and a hand reaching toward her belt for a kunai or some weapon.

The man chuckled again, it was the same one.

"Come from far away do you?" he said slowly, quietly, in a hoarse, attractive voice, "You're from Konoha aren't you?" he said it. It was more of a rhetorical question though.

She sat back down, feeling instantly embarrassed, "Yes.. I do," there was a pause as the man had another sake cup, "How do you know?"

He didn't reply, but continued to pour himself another cup.

Sakura looked at his black, silky cloak, the straw hat he wore that put his whole face in shadow. She noticed the strange navy/black nail-polish on his fingers. She furrowed her eyebrows, that seemed.. familiar.

Instantly she forgot about it when he spoke, "You're here on a mission, hn?"

She didn't know what to say, it would be stupid to answer him. He was, a stranger after all. But, she felt like she could tell him anything, and it would be alright, she didn't know, but she answered anyway.

"You could, call it that."

It was silent again, then she spoke, looking at him slightly, "Are you from Konoha too?"

There was a pause, a long pause. Then he chuckled, like his laugh, it was a dark one, again. It held authority; she didn't feel too well about it, something wasn't right.

"I don't know any place of that name," he merely said, and sipped another sake, and then got up.

Sakura turned around, surprised at the action, she remained still, did she say something wrong? Then, calmly, she watched as the man began to move towards the door. He moved gracefully, slowly, as if in complete black shadows.

"Wait," she called after him, something really itched in her brain, she knew this man, and yet, she couldn't remember. There was something, so familiar about him, "Who… who are you?"

He stopped, stood there for some time. He then turned around slightly, and Sakura saw something so terrifying, something she had not seen in such, such, such long time. She stared as the air escaped her lungs completely.

The man's eyes flashed red, the obvious Sharingan was staring at her, she couldn't' stop herself, something escaped her lips, a single name, "Sasuke?"

The man was quiet; it was as if, she caught him completely off guard. He raised his head, his mouth came into view, he wasn't smiling. It was grave, it seemed tired. Then, the corner of his lips; lowly began to turn up, and he smiled, or smirked, she couldn't tell.

"Sasuke…" he whispered quietly, and chuckled, he then turned around and left the bar.

Sakura, sat and stared. She didn't understand. What just happened. Was that, Sasuke? _Her _Sasuke? The missing-nin that has been missing for the past what, seven or more years?

Her body began to hurt, the socks were too itchy, the shoes were uncomfortable, her hair felt strange, she didn't know what to do. She wanted to scream and to run after him, but she also wanted to scream and to crawl under something. She was just so scared.

"Hey, I'm back," the bartender called.

She couldn't take it; she got up and ran out of the bar, after the man in the black cloak. She ran into the square, and looked around. There wasn't anyone at all to see. She then look up on the roofs, a body seemed to move away as the shimmer of a silky cloak caught her eye. Instantly she ran towards the bar wall and climbed up.

The man was getting away; he was far in the distance. Sakura wasn't going to let him go, not again.

Not like last time.

She began running, and running, and running, and jumping and just following him. To her luck the roofs and the buildings in the village were all the same level. So she could see the man far away, it was to her complete advantage.

Then, she saw the body disappear. She sped up, running faster, and faster, until she realized that he came to the border before her, and escaped into the forest. She stopped and stood above on the rooftop. Wondering whether it was worth following him. She waited, breathing heavily, thinking.

She stood there, before something knocked her, threw her backwards onto the roofs.

_What the hell..._

She began to stand up when the felt a horrible pain in her stomach. She grimaced and groaned and then coughed. With the cough came liquid in her mouth, _blood_. She spit it out and looked around before beginning to heal herself. She realized he hit a point, she was hurt internally badly, but her skin was still intact. With healing, Sakura was quite advanced. As good as Shizune and it was obvious she would be as good as Tsunade soon enough, if she worked hard for it of course.

She couldn't heal herself completely. The natural bruise was there that she had to wait a bit before she could heal. The damage was caused to her internally, and she couldn't heal all of right away. Most of the pain was gone but she still grimaced when she moved.

"Healer?" she heard that voice again.

She turned around (with agony) and saw the man again.

"Who are you?" she yelled out. He couldn't be Sasuke. They didn't sound alike.

It couldn't be Madara Uchiha.

Right?

Of course not, hah. That's just stupid, and insane. Why would he be here?

_You're so totally screwed if it is him! _ Something in her spoke, all she did was just tell it to _shut up you useless piece of-_

The person didn't reply. They stood there, for a long time, just standing.

He broke the silence suddenly, "What's the thing you want the most, kunoichi?"

That took her off guard. She opened her mouth, and closed it again. A distant though echoed in the back of her head. A single name.

"It's- it's none of your business," she replied. Only after realizing how stupid she sounded.

The man didn't say anything. He turned around and began to walk to towards the edge of the roof.

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't just go- Who are you? I still-"

He turned around again and there was a strong silence. Then he said something that terrified her completely;

"Don't worry Kunoichi, we'll be seeing each other soon, very soon."

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><p>okay well, I hope you liked it ughfjhsdkf. Tell me what you think, pleeeeeeeeeease!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! Thanks so much for the reviews, and don't forget to keep at it haha! I need your feedback!_

_I'm really sorry for the lack of ItaSaku so far, but we're getting there! Don't fret heehee! Next chapter will be all about it._

_-Alice_

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><p>She'd always enjoyed showers. They always made her feel calmer, always less scared of everything. Just better. Showers are always there, but people sometimes aren't. Which was… a strange thing to think, but it got her going along and along.<p>

She got out and looked around her newly furnished apartment. She was so glad to move out of her parents' house. She was always sort of jealous of Naruto having such freedom. Again, a sort of strange thought to think about.

An obvious disadvantage to living alone was probably that she'd have to go and get her own toilet papers, and shampoo, and food, and all these other things. She laughed at these thoughts, thinking that she'd get along quite well.

She grabbed a hairbrush, and with her towel, she threw herself on the bed, facing upwards towards the ceiling, and began brushing her hair. It was a peaceful day, blue sky, spring was coming along pretty well, birds were singing. Sakura smiled, things were getting better, she was happy for that.

Then she remembered the man with the Sharingan. Instantly her smile faded and her hand stopped brushing her pink locks. Who was he? And why did he say that?

_"Wait! Where are you going? You can't just go- Who are you? I still-"_

_He turned around again and there was a strong silence. Then he said something that terrified her completely;_

_"Don't worry__Kunoichi__, we'll be seeing each other soon, very soon."_

She'd been thinking a lot about this. She'd come to several conclusions, but none of them seemed to be right.

First, she thought it was Sasuke (_of course). _But then she thought about how the voice was deeper, hoarser. But then, she hadn't seen him for seven years, so she couldn't know. But the man also acted strangely, would Sasuke act like that towards her if they bumped into each other? Sakura was sure that the man knew that Naruto was there, as well as Shikamaru. If he knew they were Leaf Ninjas then he could easily know about the two others upstairs.

So it was irrational and far too hopeful to think that it was Sasuke.

Then she went on to Madara Uchiha. That thought gave her shivers up her spine and made her hairs stand on their ends. No, it wasn't possible. Or was it? It might have been possible, he is known to act a bit enigmatically, and to play mind-games with people, and just- ugh. No.

Then she thought about, Itachi Uchiha. Well that… that was impossible. He's dead. Long gone.

Was there some other Uchiha nobody knows about? Someone who Itachi might have missed out when completely went insane and killed his whole family?

No, that's a bit irrational too.

Sakura stared at the ceiling, feeling hopeless. Maybe she imagined it, dreamed it. When she woke up, she was in the hotel room. But, the man could have easily knocked her out, and left her there? Was that possible?

"Ughhhh!" she groaned and turned over, stuffing her face into a pillow. What did she get herself into? But, anyway, why was she thinking so much about it? It was obviously not important. At all and she dreamed it up too, most likely.

Yes. Yes, that must be it.

With that comforting thought, she got up, put on some black shorts and a mini-kimono red shirt, and went out to walk around Konoha.

First thing she did, was realize that she was hungry. Her fridge was empty and she decided she'd go to a shop or a market _after _she'd eaten. So with that, she began to walk towards Konoha's favorite Ramen shop.

She sat down and ordered her favorite ramen with eggs and different spices that she loved. She stared at the menu pointlessly while she waited. After learning it by heart she looked around again. Finally it arrived, and grabbing a pair of chopsticks, she began to say, "Itadakima-"

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" a loud voice called out.

She jumped in her seat and almost spilled the soup on herself. Angrily turning around, she wanted to punch Naruto in the face. But, one look at the happy blonde's face, she instantly softened up.

_What's with me?_

"Hey Naruto," she greeted him.

"Wasting your money on ramen? Should I guide you to the grocery shop or something maybe? Have you found it or are you lost?" he asked her, smiling. Sakura laughed and shook her head, eating some noodles.

"No I'm planning to go after maybe," she said.

"Oh! I can come with you! I need to get some stuff myself!" Naruto said, and ordered a ramen too. His seemed to come faster than Sakura's had done previously. She narrowed her eyes at the chef who look away nervously. _Personal preference eh, ohho._

They ate and talked about nothing. After having shopped for food (Sakura forcing Naruto to get healthy foods), they walked towards Sakura's apartment, him carrying half of her things. It was a nice evening, warm with the wind slightly blowing. They were totally silent, before Sakura decided to ask a sensitive question.

"Na-Naruto," she began.

"Yes Sakura-chan?" he asked, looking at her seriously, hearing her tone.

"You know, I was just thinking, and I was wondering, um," she said, "Would you, if you, if you for instance, saw someone, anyone, that you know," she looked at him, nervously, then seeing the look in his eye, she gained confidence, "If you saw someone you knew very well, or at least," she shrugged slightly, "you _thought _you did, anyway. If you saw someone like that, who looked familiar, but you haven't seen them in a long long long time, would you recognize them?" she asked, blurting things out very quickly, "And also, what if you didn't? What if you thought you did, but you didn't? Get it?"

She looked at Naruto hopefully, and noticed his eyebrows pulled together, he looked up ahead. He was thinking, and then continued, "Like, like let's say… um… Sasuke-kun, for instance."

Suddenly it seemed to become very, very cold around them. Sakura looked down, and looked at Naruto's hands, they were in a fist. A horrible, white fist.

"I'm-I'm sorry Naruto, forget it-"

"You saw him? Where?" his voice came out gruff, and angry, and so monotone. Not like him, at all.

"I didn't!" she exclaimed looking at him.

"Sakura-chan," he stopped and looked at her, painfully, "Sakura-chan please. He's not the same anymore, you _have _to realize that. It took me so much time, but I did didn't I? You have –"

"Naruto," she said it more sharply then, "Naruto, I didn't. I didn't see him. Ok? I didn't, I promise."

They stood there like that, complete tension between old friends. It seemed as if forever before Naruto's face softened, and they continued walking along.

They walked in silence until her apartment house. He helped her unload the things into a fridge, and commented on the interior design, saying how she should help him with his place; she laughed. It seemed ok again.

Before he left, he said one thing.

"If it was someone like Sasuke, I think, I… I _know_ I would recognize him right away. It's not something you wish to do, or want to; it's just something you just _know_. You'd just know, you wouldn't really have doubts about it."

Sakura stared at the floor, wondering, feeling stupid. Then, suddenly, she felt warm arms wrap around her, and they stood like that for a while. His head rested on hers, and he said, "It's alright, ok, it's going to be ok." She nodded and burrowed her head into his chest, little tears falling from her eyes in agony.

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><p>That night she lay in bed, thinking and thinking non-stop about what Naruto had said. It made her smile thinking about how empty-headed he can be sometimes, and then just say such intelligent things a minute later.<p>

With those thoughts, she fell asleep and slept quite well. At a point she fell into a dream where she was running from something, she couldn't get away. She looked around, but everything was empty and the room was so vast. She looked down and screamed. Below her a spinning orange floor was pulling her down. In the middle something red gleamed, Sakura screamed again as it took her into it and everything seemed to go white, and then she woke up, breathing heavily, sweating.

"Hey! Hey you, Haruno-san, he-" a voice came from the window.

Sakura froze.

She froze, staring at the opposite wall. Her eyes wide as disks and big white china plates. She reached over towards the side of her bed, under the mattress, where the person in the window wouldn't see. She then grabbed a kunai she always had there and jumped out of her bed and pointed it at the man in the window.

It was an ANBU.

The poor guy yelped, threw his hands up, and fell out of the tree.

Sakura yelped too, instantly feeling guilty. She pulled the window open and peered down, whispering out, "Sorry! Sorry!" she stared for a bit while the man groaned, then, "You- Are you okay? Down there…?"

The man waved a weak, gloved hand at her, motioning he was alright, "Don't worry- I'm-" he attempted to get up, groaning and complaining, "I'm an ANBU, I- I've gone through worse things-heh-"

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><p>"You want me to go there, now?" Sakura exclaimed when the Hokage told her of her new mission, which consisted of going to the Lightning Country and acting as a medic.<p>

"Yes! Now! Don't sound so shocked! I can't go, obviously you understand why, and Shizune can't go either because of her business," Tsunade replied, looking through papers and talking to Sakura dismissively.

"I'm- I'm not, it's just, I didn't tell you, but i was think of applying to the ANBU-"

"Wow Sakura, that's great, really," the blonde smiled at her, looking up from her papers finally.

Once she got her attention, Sakura continued, "and also isn't Lighting Country a bit far away and anyway, are we not on the best terms with them-?"

"That doesn't matter! That's all in the past Sakura," Tsunade replied cleverly, looking down at her papers again.

"Also, it's so unexpected, don't you think?"

"No I don't. This isn't your first last-minute mission, is it?"

"No but-" Sakura stopped, and watched the woman shuffle through masses, and masses of papers.

She then spoke slowly, suspicious of the Hokage, "They payed a large sum... didn't they?"

Tsunade glared at her the same way back, "Maybe- but Konoha needs the repairs anyway-and" she paused, and watched the young girl before her, "Sakura, stop it. They need our help and that's all there is to it. Or have you completely forgotten the war?"

Sakura look down then, it was silent. Bringing up the last great ninja war was a bit of a sensitive, quite taboo topic. She thought about the pain and agony and chaos and how horrible it all was, so she merely nodded and bowed a good bye. Before she left, Tsunade stopped her.

"Sakura, I'm sorry," she said, sounding sincere, "Just be safe alright?" Sakura smile and nodded at the woman she had grown so close to. The strangely pink-haired nin left he office, with a small glow on her, a sudden happiness taking over her. She went home and had to be ready in an hour, in wait for the ANBU that would take her to the Lightning country.

As the Hokage waited to be sure that her student left the building, once she was, she picked up a telephone and called the ANBU office in the city, all this time staring at the door.

"This is Hokage speaking," she said, "I've gotten them out-"

"Haruno and Uzumaki?" the voice asked back.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable having been interrupted, she paused, and continued on with a colder voice, "Yes, both of them. Begin transporting the boy, keep him heavily sedated, I want to interrogate him myself," she spoke into the phone.

"Alright but, no disrespect, are you sure this is a good idea? The boy _is _an S-class missing nin, perhaps even a phsychopath like his brot-"

"Be quiet and don't mention any of those names. Do as you're told," Tsunade snapped and hung up on the phone, instantly angry. How nosy the Tracker-Nins are these days. They seem to take their job, (and themselves) far too seriously.

And anyway, she had worse things to worry about, maybe never being forgiven by the two people she loved the most at that moment.

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><p>Sakura locked the apartment door and went outside wearing the Jounin vest she earned a year ago, black shorts and a black short with a green band around her forearm, showing that not only is she a medic, but one of Tsunade's best, having earned herself a name for it as well.<p>

Her hair was up and the metal head-protector was in her bag, she didn't feel like wearing it this time. She waited for the ANBU, but they seemed to be late. She waited for thirty minutes before finally a man appeared in front of the gates. She stood up from the rock she was almost close to dozing of too, and bowed her head slightly to him.

"Haruno Sakura?" the man said in a voice that was quiet familiar to her, but she couldn't place it, yet again.

She nodded and mumbled a yes.

"Alright then we should go, we have a five day journey ahead of us," with that, he turned around and began walking away on the path leading into the forest. Sakura followed him, hating the fact that not only was there a total block between them two, but also that he wore a mask, making situations so much more awkward and difficult for her. Throughout the time they walked, she couldn't help but to recognize the dark ponytail hanging down his back. It looked silky and smooth like a stream and she was just holding herself from reaching over and feeling it. It took might and will and she kept herself away.

They walked the first eight hours in silence.

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><p><em>Yup yup, hope you liked it!<em>

_-Alice_


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